Since most garden centers buy—rather than raise—most of what they sell, there is room for tremendous variation in buying ability and buying standards. The opinions we collected from consumers on garden centers reflect this big variation in quality.

No matter your fix-it skillset and toolset, every do-it-yourselfer also needs a reliable hardware store at the ready—preferably one that charges reasonable prices. Our ratings of area hardware stores for quality and price should help you find one.

Skilled florists can interpret your tastes (or those of the recipient), determine what’s appropriate for the occasion, and then create a work of art that fits those needs. Our ratings of florists for quality and price should help you pick the best.

When you need to send flowers to someone outside the area, what do you do? We review the options, and advise you on how to deal with each to ensure you and your special someone on the other end are happy with the results.

Kermit the Frog once crooned “It’s Not Easy Being Green.” If you have a lawn, you can relate: It’s not easy keeping things green. Here's how to plot a course, whether you call in the pros or go it alone.

Lawn care services work with different products and techniques, but the results they promise are similar. Companies usually offer customers a selection of “packages” that include specified treatment plans to take place over the course of a year.